Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
On Saturday, the Arakan Army, a separatist group, seized dozens of shops owned by the Rohingya in the central market of Maungdaw city, in Arakan State, western Myanmar, using armed force. The group forced the owners to hand over their shop keys and later rent them back from the Arakan Army administration.
According to Rohingya shop owners, the Arakan Army reopened the central market on May 17, which includes more than 380 shops, most of which are owned by the Rohingya. In contrast, the ethnic Rakhine own only 5 shops and the Hindus 4. They reported that most shops were looted as soon as the market reopened.
They told Arakan News Agency that the Arakan Army positioned its forces on the upper floor of the market, and the looting particularly targeted Rohingya-owned shops, causing extensive property losses.
Shop owners said they were ordered to evacuate and surrender their keys. They were not allowed to reopen unless they rented the shops from the Arakan Army, despite having fully purchased the properties with their own money since 1998.
They added that the new rental system did not apply to other ethnic groups, including the Rakhine, who were allowed to continue their businesses without restrictions.
The confiscation included shops built on legally leased public lands, including those located in front of the model school in Kanin Tan neighborhood.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that Rohingya shops were systematically looted after their locks were broken and goods stolen. The Arakan Army later installed new locks. Stolen items included electrical equipment, generators, batteries, and solar panels.
They stressed that what happened to the Rohingya in Maungdaw constitutes both a humanitarian and economic catastrophe, as they suffered significant losses that drastically worsened their living conditions.
A week ago, the Arakan Army allowed the reopening of Maungdaw’s municipal market after it had been closed since June 2024 due to clashes with the Myanmar military junta over control of the city.
This came less than 24 hours after Rohingya homes in the city’s villages were looted for timber to be used in building checkpoints, watchtowers, and military posts, following the forced displacement of their inhabitants.
These violations are part of the ongoing policy pursued by the Arakan Army against the Rohingya since it took control of Maungdaw on December 8 last year. The group closed their homes under false accusations, seized them, and confiscated their property.
It also displaced many families, resettled ethnic Rakhine families in Rohingya villages, imposed extortion fees, collected food supplies, and levied heavy taxes on Rohingya shops.
The Arakan Army launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to take over the state and has since captured 14 out of 17 cities. As a result of the conflict, the Rohingya have suffered violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides after already enduring a campaign of genocide by the Myanmar military in 2017 that drove nearly one million of them to flee to Bangladesh.
